Fight or Flight response

• What is the fight or flight response?

  An evolutionary response of the body to stress where the body becomes physiologically aroused in readiness to fight or flight an aggressor
• What are the 2 main hormones released during the fight or flight response?

  Adrenaline and noradrenaline
• Which part of the adrenal gland releases adrenaline?

  The adrenal medulla
• Describe the first four stages of the flight or fight response

  1, The amygdala sends an alarm signal. 2, This triggers the hypothalamus to activate two response systems - the HPA and the SAM. 3, The sympatho adrenal medullary (SAM) is the body's response to acute stressors. It triggers the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system. 4, The sympathetic branch stimulates the adrenal medulla (inside of the adrenal gland). This results in the release of hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.
• Describe the fifth stage of the flight or fight response?

  5, These hormones prepare our body for physical exertions. For example, x Increased heart rate x Blood pressure x Breathing and respiration x Releases glucose into bloodstream x Digestion is reduced
• Describe the sixth stage of the flight or fight response?

  6, Once the stressor has passed, the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic system reverses these changes - which is also known as the rest and digest system.
• Explain the 'tend and befriend’ response

  x Taylor et al. (2000) suggest that, for females, behavioural responses to stress are more characterised by a pattern of tend and befriend than fight or flight. x This involves protecting their young through nurturing (tending) and forming protective alliances with other women (befriending).
• Give evidence for the 'tend and befriend' response

  Lee and Harley (2012) - x discovered the SRY gene, found only on the Y chromosome, which promotes aggression and results in the fight or flight response to stress. x females don't have a Y chromosome and neither the SRI gene which may prevent this response to stress, leading instead to ‘tend and befriend’ response.
• Explain the 'freeze' response

  Gray (1988) - x argued that the first phase of reaction to a threat is not to fight or flee, but to avoid confrontation x suggested that, prior to responding with attacking or running away, most animals display the ‘freeze response’. His initial freeze response is a ‘stop, look and listen’ response, where the animal is hyper-vigilant, alert to the slightest sign of danger.
• Explain how men may show the 'tend and befriend'

  Vin Dawans et al. (2012) - challenged the classic view that, under stress, men respond only with ‘fight or flight’, whereas women are more prone to ‘tend and befriend’.
• Explain Vin Dawans et al's study's (2012) finding and a real-life example


  x Their study found that acute stress can actually lead to greater cooperative and friendly behaviour, in both men and women. x For example, during the 9/11 terrorist attacks cooperative and friendly behaviour was shown resulting in human connections.
• Negative consequences of the fight-or-flight response

  x The fight-or-flight response is useful in response to situations which require energetic behavioural responses. However, the stressors of modern life rarely require such levels of physical activity and this can be harmful on our body - if the stress response is repeatedly activated. x For example, the increased blood pressure that is triggered by the activation of the SNS can lead to physical damage in the blood vessels and can eventually lead to heart disease.